Mercedes recalls some GL-Class vehicles

Wednesday

May 8, 2013 at 12:01 AM

Mercedes-Benz is recalling about 270 vehicles made at its plant in Vance to correct a potential seat belt problem.

By Patrick RupinskiBusiness Editor

Mercedes-Benz is recalling about 270 vehicles made at its plant in Vance to correct a potential seat belt problem.A document filed by Mercedes with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on April 26 said the potential problem exists in 2013 GL-Class sports utility vehicles made between May 15, 2012, and Oct. 4, 2012.The Mercedes report said seat belt anchor fittings on the second row of the SUV’s seats might not have been tightened properly on some of the vehicles and that the vehicles will need to be checked by dealers, who will correct the problem. It said the anchor bolts are tightened using power screwdrivers.Mercedes plant workers discovered the potential problem with the seat belts in December 2012 during pre-delivery checks, according to the document.In the following weeks, the plant “determined the root cause of this issue and identified the potentially affected production range of vehicles,” it said.In April, Mercedes notified the NHTSA and said the defective anchoring could potentially affect the approximately 270 vehicles subject to the recall.Mercedes plans to notify the vehicle owners about the problem. It said all the vehicles are covered by their warranties and that dealers would check and, if necessary, adjust the anchoring at no charge.The 2013 model GL-Class SUVs marked the start of the model’s second generation. A new generation means a model gets a major facelift with new features.Mercedes started making its 2013 models in early 2012 with the vehicles going on sale at dealerships in September 2012.Emails to Mercedes-Benz USA requesting comment were not immediately answered. Mercedes-Benz USA is based in New Jersey and is the marketing unit for Mercedes-Benz in the United States. It was listed as filing the recall information with the NHTSA.